Why are solar eclipses shorter than lunar eclipses?

Question by pangalicious: Why are solar eclipses shorter than lunar eclipses?
Lunar eclipses usually last anywhere from like 1-3 hours, whereas solar eclipses are just a few minutes long. Why is this?


Best answer:
Answer by daiquirikisscuz in a solar eclipse the moon is in between the earth and the sun, and since the moon and sun alignment isn't very long lasting, it's short. Where as the lunar eclipse is passing through the earth's shadow, meaning, the earth is in between the sun and the moon. The Earth and sun alignment is much slower moving than the moon, so it lasts longer.

What do you think? Answer below!







Annular Solar Eclipse on 15 January 2010 Can be seen best in Tropical regions on the Equator, from Nigeria in Africa, crossing Indian Ocean, passing by the southern tip of India all the way to Korea in the far East. Its the first Solar Eclipse of the year 2010 Annular Solar Eclipses usually happens in winter time, as the Sun is at Perihelion ie at its nearest to Earth, so apparent diameter of the Sun is larger than that of the Moon, for that the Moon can not cover the Sun entirely leaving a ring of light around it.. Total Solar Eclipses howerver usually happens in sumer times as the sun at Aphelion ie at its furthest from Earth and its apparent diameter is smaller than the Moon and can be covered entirely... A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is fully or partially covered. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth. At least two and up to five solar eclipses can occur each year on Earth, with between zero and two of them being total eclipses.Total solar eclipses are nevertheless rare at any location because during each eclipse totality exists only along a narrow corridor in the relatively tiny area of the Moon's umbra. A total solar eclipse is a spectacular natural phenomenon and many people travel to remote locations to observe one. The solar eclipse of August 11, 1999 in Europe helped to increase public awareness of the phenomenon, as illustrated by the ...
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Total Solar Eclipse | Solar Eclipse Information